I would like to build station for AM operation only, having not used am for 30 years I need suggestions on what type and kind of rigs to look for. I have a kw930 with am but it seems to only put out 40-50 watts. I am used to tube type rigs so that is not a problem and from what I hear alot of hams are using the older tube types.

If by "KW930" you mean "TS-930," that rig can only run 40W carrier power on AM, and sounds a lot better if you crank it back to 25W carrier power, so it can fully modulate to nearly 100W PEP.

Many of the newer JA rigs, when run at 1/4th their rated PEP power for carrier signal level, sound absolutely excellent on AM. The problem isn't how they sound, but how they receive, since many rigs don't come standard with AM bandwidth filters that allow any sort of fidelity to come through.

But, the higher end rigs all have available wider AM IF filters, and some come with them factory installed.

My 14 year-old Kenwood TS-850S came standard with 6 kHz and 12 kHz "AM" filters (no options to buy!) in both 8.83 MHz and 455 kHz IFs, and when those are used, really does sound like a good, old-fashioned "AM" receiver. Its transmitter modulation quality on AM is so good that anytime I want to pull somebody's leg and tell them I'm running vintage "real AM" (high level modulated) tube equipment, everyone absolutely believes it. In fact, it sounds better than the Rangers, Apaches and DX100s that I've had in the past.

But if you'd like to build a "vintage" station anyway, there's no shortage of the old stuff around. And you're right, AM is making a comeback and I'd even "vote" for a couple more AM channel frequencies on 20 meters at this point, to give the guys a bit more room to have fun. It's already well spread out above 29 MHz on ten meters, and a lot of the 160m band.

AMers have channels. Okay, we have VFOs but are relegated to gentleman's agreement channels on some bands. Might as well be crystal controlled, on 20 or 40 meters, maybe on 15 and 75, too.

That's okay, I very rarely operate AM on any band other than 10m because the nature of much of the operations drives me to dreamland. But the one-on-one (non-"roundtable") QSOs on 10m AM can be as rapid-fire as those on SSB, CW or any other mode, and that is good fun.

If I could find a way to force the guys on the local 40m "Collins AM net" to limit each transmission to 3 minutes max, I might even join them! But I don't think that'll be happening....

Calling frequencies by gentleman's agreement, perhaps, but it sounds pretty channelized...except for those using DX100s and stuff, who drift completely off the channel in the course of a single transmission

Here on the East Coast, and many others parts of the country, you'll find AM operation on 75M between 3800 through 3890. On 160M, you'll find it on many frequencies; 40M around 7290 is where they mostly hang although the ARRL broadcasts their SSB bulletins on that frequency too; 14.286 on 20M is where they mostly hang; 15M, anywhere between 21400 and 21425; 10M, anywhere between 29000 and 29200; 6M, anywhere between 50375 and 50500. Most AM'ers, at least the many I've talked with over the years, don't consider they have channelized AM operation. Of course many SSB operators have a territorial view of our bands so, to them, channelization is a way of ham life.

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